AI helps industries save up to $35,000 per hour

That is why Tractian developed a technology based on sensors of the different electrical phases so that, through AI software, it can detect where a fault could occur. “It is like the Shazam of machines to tell when they are going to fail,” explains Vieira.

Its operation is based on the fact that sensors are installed in the different machines and, by means of analyzing the sound vibrations, the algorithm detects when there is a failure at some point in the process, since it has a database of how the facilities should operate.

It currently monitors 80,000 machines in various industries continuously and online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Its technologies contribute approximately 5% of global GDP in production, which means that 50 out of every 1,000 dollars generated by global industry are facilitated through its solutions.

Although Tractian’s tool is unique and patented, other institutions in Mexico have paid attention to the problems of production lines and have created their own tools to solve them and have a lesser impact on the country’s manufacturing.

At the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) in Saltillo, for example, various research groups have worked on robotic welding stations to correct defects in seconds through an AI system that recognizes variants of the line to adapt and correct them if necessary.

Mexico, a powerhouse in manufacturing

Vieira points out that these types of solutions are especially important in a manufacturing country like Mexico, which has immediate proximity to the United States, which increases the demand for operations and requires optimal performance of the machinery practically all the time.

He also highlights that this context has been much more noticeable as the United States supply chains have decoupled from China, since Mexico has become the preferred destination due to its proximity and commercial relationship.

Manufacturing in Mexico accounts for 40% of Mexico’s economy, according to data from Morgan Stanley, while in other countries in the region, such as Brazil, the percentage is around 21%, which demonstrates the importance of national machinery and its optimal maintenance.

“There is a very strong demand for technical talent for manufacturing,” Vieira points out, something that has been seen with the investment opportunities that nearshoring represents. That is why industries “need to understand that technology is an ally of industrial processes.”